Timely completion of Dasu project urged
“The delay has already escalated the total cost of the project manifold which will definitely burden Wapda, as well as the common taxpayer,” the judge noted. PHOTO: FILE
Chairman WAPDA, Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd), highlighted the Dasu Hydropower Project's crucial role in providing clean, affordable electricity for Pakistan. He called for sustained efforts to ensure the project meets its timelines during a visit to the construction site in Upper Kohistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as per a press statement released on Monday.
During his tour, the chairman inspected various key components, including the main dam's abutments, the underground powerhouse, transformers cavern, and the relocated Karakoram Highway (KKH-I). He reviewed the ongoing construction and progress on 15 active work fronts. WAPDA officials informed him that, after construction, the upstream starter dam, now standing at 798 feet above mean sea level, had successfully diverted floodwaters through its tunnels. Work on slope stabilisation, excavation, and tunnel breakthroughs continues, with all seven tunnels of KKH-I now completed. Land acquisition for the project has also been finalised.
The chairman highlighted WAPDA's Rs17.34 billion investment in resettlement, environmental management, and social development, and urged project management to promptly address local grievances.
The 4320 MW Dasu Hydropower Project will be completed in two stages. Stage-I, currently under construction, will generate 12 billion units of clean electricity annually, with Stage-II contributing an additional 9 billion units. Once fully operational, Dasu will become Pakistan's largest hydropower producer, delivering 21 billion units of electricity annually.